Misfiring Gunners show some mettle

Inevitably it would be Arsene Wenger, the most articulate manager in football - in any language - who cut to the core of the matter. 'That's the good sign from today,' he said. 'We knew we could win a game when not at our best. That tells you much about our maturity and our mental strengths.'

How that neat and accurate summary must irritate Tottenham who, while not at their best either, lost to a below-par Arsenal when they should have and could have won against them for the first time in eight years. Maybe next season. Maybe in a couple of weeks time in the Carling Cup. Maybe not.

It is the most curious phenomenon, the losing streak. The players who succumbed again at the Emirates yesterday obviously were not the same unit who started the miserable run in 2000. Yet the virus seems ineradicable. It is stuck in the Spurs psyche. The new manager, Juande Ramos, has brought some relief, but his task is a long-term one.

Cutting through the post-match multilingual jungle of managers' press conferences is a hazardous business in football these days, but even the strangled quotes from Ramos could not disguise his extreme displeasure at the manner of Tottenham's defeat.

It was not Robbie Keane's missed penalty that agitated him, although describing it as 'just one of those things' surely is not what he meant to say, but the free header with which Nicklas Bendtner won the game looked to be forming a very dark cloud over his head as he (apparently) said: 'Obviously to let in a goal from a corner with all 10 outfielders in the penalty area is not normal. It should not be made in a professional team.'

It started brightly enough for Spurs. There was much to admire in a first half in which a former Arsenal trainee, Jamie O'Hara, ran himself ragged in the cause, and the beguiling Dimitar Berbatov flitted in and out of scoring positions without ever scaring the rock-solid rearguard of William Gallas and Kolo Toure. Down the right, Aaron Lennon had plenty of opportunities but capitalised on very few, thanks to the vigilance Gael Clichy.

Spurs looked the more energetic, Arsenal remained composed. At the heart of their machine, which was still stuck in second, was Alexander Hleb. He passed with such speed and accuracy that young O'Hara found himself continually dragged back to help out Teemu Tainio as Emmanuel Adebayor looked for an opening. Emmanuel Eboue had the first proper shot on goal, as a slimmed down Paul Robinson stretched to palm it clear.

Adebayor got free of the visitors defence only to be dispossessed by the superb O'Hara. As Wenger admitted, Arsenal could not find their rhythm in the first half - but neither could Spurs capitalise, despite going close through Kevin-Prince Boateng's delicious chip just before half time.

After the break came the break and a total change in the momentum of the game. Tomas Rosicky carved a hole down the left, Cesc Fabregas stayed strong on the ball and back-heeled to the advancing Adebayor behind him who, criminally, had as much time as he needed to slide the ball across Robinson and into the corner of the net.

That sent Spurs back on their heels. All of a sudden, Adebayor came to life in the most constructive way. Word rippled around the ground, in both camps: Arsenal never lose when Adebayor scores. Arsenal had moved into top gear; Spurs had the hand-break on.

Boateng, who had been a peripheral figure, was booked and replaced, and the more artful stroller Tom Huddlestone immediately sparked Tottenham back into life. Huddlestone took the ball from Adebayor on the run and Spurs counter-attacked. Lennon tormented the defence down the right and opened them up with a delightful cross that found Keane - but the Irishman's volley clattered on to the bar. It was more than the visiting fans could bear.

Within a minute, however, Berbatov, who had been slumbering, pulled down Keane's pretty back-heel and the Bulgaria striker slammed it home. Parity - and a glimmer of hope for Spurs.

When Toure hacked down Berbatov in front of goal, there seemed no reason to doubt that Keane would convert the penalty. But, when the impressive Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal guessed right and parried the shot, hearts sank in that corner of the ground that had been tricked into dreaming of Christmas joy at last.

The killer Arsenal goal, though, was characteristic of their gift for conjuring up something at precisely the moment it is needed and Tottenham's tendency to let things drift when the game is looking promising for them.

Bendtner replaced Eboue and, as if by royal command, scored. With his marker Huddlestone caught in traffic behind the faltering Adebayor, he was free to thrill Arsenal fans with a leap that would not look out of place in any performance of Swan Lake. A good few feet off the ground and with nobody anywhere near him, he hit Fabregas's perfectly floated corner with full force.

There was no coming back, even with 14 minutes left. And that sums up the difference between the two sides. Had the score and the situation been reversed, you would not have gambled much of your own money on Spurs hanging on to a 2-1 lead. Arsenal would have found a way, as they have so many times this season.

Arsenal are perched on top of football's Christmas tree, with 43 points from 18 games and 20 to go. Spurs? There is hope in the camp, but much work to do yet.

Man of the match

Emmanuel Adebayor Could have gone to young Jamie O'Hara for Spurs, while Alexander Hleb was another strong candidate, but there could be no denying Adebayor. His goal sapped Tottenham's energy and momentum and he kept up the onslaught to keep them on the back foot.

THE FANS' VERDICT

Louise Cowburn, Observer reader We were quite lucky, but resilient. Spurs bottled it, Keane letting them down. The way he took the penalty was really weak, giving us a Christmas present, even if Almunia did well. The first half was very flat, the atmosphere too - the worst in a derby for a long time and I forgot the Spurs fans were there. But it was an excellent back-heel from Fabregas for the first goal and the game became an entirely different one then. Spurs had to force the pace. No one was outstanding for us, though Hleb was quite strong. We played quite a lot of long balls, which hasn't always worked but it did today and we wound up singing Bendtner's name for the first time - plus 'We beat the scum 2?1', which is always nice.

Dave Mason, Observer reader It's a good sign, I suppose, to feel disappointed at not winning at Arsenal, though there was no derby atmosphere. We had the edge in the first half, just about, with a makeshift team - there was no Zokora or Jenas, who've been crucial of late. Tainio did well, out of position. There were just a couple of lapses of concentration - Boateng let Fabregas go for the first and two?ton Tommy didn't pick up their sub for the second. We've gone three games without Keane, won them all, he comes back and we lose. It's not that simple, but he wouldn't have scored today if he'd been at a Man United Christmas party. Defoe and now Robbie have missed penalties while Berba has been on the pitch - and that's expensive.